IBM Websphere Application Server Interview QA

1. What is the difference between Web Server and Application Server?

Webserver:
A Web server handles the HTTP protocol. When the Web server receives an HTTP request, it
responds with an HTTP response, such as sending back an HTML page. To process a request, a
Web server may respond with a static HTML page or image, send a redirect, or delegate the dynamic
response generation to some other program such as CGI scripts, JSPs (JavaServer Pages), servlets,
ASPs (Active Server Pages), server-side JavaScripts, or some other server-side technology.
Whatever their purpose, such server-side programs generate a response, most often in HTML, for
viewing in a Web browser.

Application Server:
As for the application server, according to our definition, an application server exposes business logic
to client applications through various protocols, possibly including HTTP. While a Web server mainly
deals with sending HTML for display in a Web browser, an application server provides access to
business logic for use by client application programs. The application program can use this logic just
as it would call a method on an object

2. What is JDBC?
JDBC technology is an API (included in both J2SE and J2EE releases) that provides cross-DBMS
connectivity to a wide range of SQL databases and access to other tabular data sources, such as
spreadsheets or flat files. With a JDBC technology-enabled driver, you can connect all corporate data
even in a heterogeneous environment

3. What is EJB?
Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) technology is the server-side component architecture for the Java 2
Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) platform. EJB technology enables rapid and simplified
development of distributed, transactional, secure and portable applications based on Java
technology.

4. What are the different application servers and Web Servers supporting J2EE
technologies?
JBoss Is an Application Server that supports J2EE
IBM Websphere and BEA WebLogic servers are a combination of Application Server, Web Server &
container
Jakarta Tomcat is a Servlet container and a Web server.
Apache Sever is a Web server

5. What is the WebSphere Application Server Console and what is its role?
What is the default URL and port for accessing it?
The administrative console is a browser-based interface that allows you to configure application
server settings, deploy and manage applications, and perform additional tasks that are not included in
the HTTP Server Administration interface. It used to be a Java application, however to be firewall safe
it was made into a web-based application.

It runs on the default install port 9060 e.g http:\\hostname:9060\ibm\console, however this can be
changed by editing virtual_hosts names. also when during installation ie GUI or response-file install
you can set the ports that will be used.

6. What Development Environment(s) are available to develop applications for

WebSphere?
IBM provides several industrial strength development environments based on Eclipse development
framework the current IDE is Rational Developer for Websphere. Applications can also be developed
with the Websphere Application Server Toolkit and third party tools like Jbuilder, and Eclipse/ANT etc.

Websphere_QA Questions and Answers Page 1 of 3

IBM Websphere Application Server Interview QA
7. In WebSphere how would you provide the ability for a Web application (JSP)
to be able to provide authentication for both a local user and LDAP.
Using the Administration Console:
Turn on Administrative security.
Federate a local repository and an LDAP repository together.
Restart server.
Ensure Web application has a web.xml file to be able assign LDAP groups to roles.

8. What version of Websphere software is required to install WebSphere

clustering? How would you configure Websphere for clustering: list basic
steps?
WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment is the software required to install a WebSphere
cluster.
 Install base with Deployment Manager
 Create profiles for Deployment Manager and each node in the cell using with the
Profile Management Tool ensuring the nodes are federated.
 Use the Deployment Manager's Administration Console to create the cluster and set
cluster settings as appropriate.
 Create Windows Services or Start up scripts for Deployment Manager, Node
manager and Severs to ensure restart when OS is rebooted.

9. How would you ensure that a Websphere Application server or Websphere
Application Server Node is started when the OS being windows 2000/2003 is
re-booted?
Use the command WASService to register the Websphere Application Server or Websphere
Application node as a Windows service.

10. What language is the default scripting language for Websphere and which
language is the preferred scripting language? What Websphere tool can be
used to run scripts and where is it located?
JACL is the default scripting language for WAS, Both JACL and Jython can be used.
Jython is the preferred scripting language as JACL is now deprecated.
WSAdmin tool located in the <installroot>\bin directory

11. What type of files are required to deploy an application into Websphere.
How can they be installed?
WAR or EAR files.
Can be installed using Administration Console or scripts.

12. How would use ensure WebSphere server logs are created on a different
drive than the installation root?
Change the WebSphere server's server variables using the Administrative Console or use scripts.

13. How to choose Websphere over other application servers?

Selecting application server is part of architectural process when infrastructure is defined. It depends
on several facets:
1. External systems your application will be interacting
2. Type of application you have
3. Target availability of system.
4. Corporate standards
5. Budget.

14. What are deployment descriptors? How many types of Deployment

descriptors are available? What are they?
Deployment descriptor is an XML file that describes how to deploy a module or application by
specifying configuration and container options. For example, an EJB deployment descriptor passes
information to an EJB container about how to manage and control an enterprise bean. There are two

Websphere_QA Questions and Answers Page 2 of 3

IBM Websphere Application Server Interview QA
types of deployment descriptor in websphere: Web application deployment descriptor and portlet
deployment descriptor

Portlets are packaged as WAR files with a web application deployment descriptor (web.xml). This
defines each portlet as a servlet within the web application, including unique identifiers for each
portlet, the portlet class, and initialization parameters.

15. How many ways can you deploy applications in websphere?

1. Directly copy files to deployed application folder in websphere- hot deployment.
2. Use websphere specific ant tasks and building automated scripts for deploying application.
3. Through administration console.

16. What is the difference between webserver and application server?

Application Server: takes care of Security, Transaction, Multithreading, Resource pooling, load
balancing, clustering, performance, highly availability, scalability, etc. Exposes business logic to client
applications through various protocols, possibly including HTTP. Supports deployment of .war and
.ear files Application server = webserver + EJB container.
Webserver: handles HTTP protocol. Receives HTTP request, it responds with an HTTP response.

17. How to import jaxp package in IBM WSAD?

1. open WSAD
2. go to project
3. click properties
4. select java Build Path
5. add any jar file like jaxp select add external jars.

18. How to implement JDBC-ODBC bridge driver (Type 1) in Websphere?

If you use JDBC type (I) driver you do not need to add any driver in websphere. you simply created
DSN and use it locally, same we use java class, if you use Type(2) and Type(4) so first go to admin
console then go to connection, then add driver there fill other info like connection size, uname pass,
max connection and connect it to you applications.

19. Are there any difference between weblogic and websphere?

Webpshere tends to focus more on integration, connectivity and web services. it has rich
implementation of J2EE, better performance, more extensive integration and transaction
management. In terms of transaction Weblogic is having default transaction attribute as ’supports’, but
websphere does not have any default transaction attribute.

20. What Development Environment(s) are available to develop applications for

WebSphere?
IBM provides several industrial strength development environments based on Eclipse development
framework the current IDE is Rational Developer for Websphere. Applications can also be developed
with the Websphere Application Server Toolkit and third party tools like Jbuilder, and Eclipse/ANT
etc.

21. How would use ensure WebSphere server logs are created on a different
drive than the installation root?
Change the WebSphere server's server variables using the Administrative Console or use scripts.

22. Are there any differences between Weblogic and Websphere?

Webpshere tends to focus more on integration, connectivity and web services. it has rich
implementation of J2EE, better performance, more extensive integration and transaction
management. In terms of transaction Weblogic is having default transaction attribute as ’supports’, but
websphere does not have any default transaction attribute.
Websphere is from IBM and Weblogic is from BEA.

Websphere_QA Questions and Answers Page 3 of 3